Petr Král: A Tribute
26. May 2008 05:09
For Patka
So yes, you sparked the fire, sniffed out potatoes and coal,
you invented the paddle, the circular wheel, knocked up a painted
sledge, slapped together the Dneprostroy dam, hauled whales into a shed,
baked yourself bricks, concocted wires,
gave boldly birth to the telephone and led it into the ears,
starved out the mammoths, fed the locomotives,
felled and swept, lined up and axed,
numbered and counted, built about with walls,
sprayed with DDT and sprinkled with holy water,
painted up black men and canaries, scrubbed the pigs,
dreamed up margarine by night, boosted the blood cells in frost,
left your boots at the Pole and passionately burned for the letter upsilon,
thanks, you’re great guys, chaps.
You sewed the tracksuits, mittens, summer and winter
uniforms,
sharpened the forks and razors, whitened Pankrác, set on fire
the Opera and put it out again
produced perfume out of petroleum and soap from Jews,
manufacturing artificial lungs and plaster turds,
discovered America, liberated Chrudim, clamped down on Kronstadt,
darned the frayed and fettered the lame,
handed out napkins and toothpicks,
were no shirkers, thanks.
You pinched the lightning into pliers, and busily you creak now in furniture and
mumble in pipework,
in spring you make children already for winter,
bravo to the ladies, thank you gentlemen.
Myself I let slide a few transparent pawns
across the empty page of expanses,
peering wistfully into the blue from the blank spots on the map,
absentmindedly picking my nose with a spongy Key made of bread.
(1981)
Translated by James Naughton